JP2008135960A - Digital camera, and power supply control method of digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make power off processing not to be performed when a battery lid is only slid and not opened, which opens and closes a card slot in which a memory card without a data protection function at a time of inserting and removing during power is supplied, is inserted or removed. <P>SOLUTION: The battery lid 21 is fixed to a camera main body 3 when it is in a halting position shown in (A), and protects the card slot, etc. If it slides to a closing position shown in (B), halting to the camera main body 3 is released, and it becomes rotatable; if it rotates to an opening position shown in (C), the card slot, etc. are released. If it is in the halting position and the closed position, a lid detection lever 42 presses a detector 43a, makes a lid detection switch 43 on. If it is rotates to an opening position, the lever releases pressing of the detector 43a, and makes the lid detection switch 43 off. If the lid detection switch 43 becomes off, i.e., the battery lid 21 rotates to the opening position, the digital switch performs the power off processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera and a power control method for the digital camera. More specifically, the present invention relates to a digital camera and a digital camera that are turned off when a cover for protecting a media slot, a battery chamber, or the like in which a recording medium is set is opened It is related with the improvement of the power supply control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Digital cameras that capture an image of an object using an image pickup device such as a CCD image sensor and obtain an image have become widespread. In this digital camera, a recording medium such as a memory card is used for recording image data representing an image by digital data. The memory card has a metal terminal on its outer surface. When the memory card is inserted into the memory card slot, the memory card comes into contact with a contact portion provided in the slot and is electrically connected to the digital camera.

  The memory card slot is protected by an openable / closable lid in order to prevent the memory card from falling off or entering dust. In addition, in order to reduce the number of lids provided in the digital camera, many of them are also used as battery lids for battery chambers in which batteries are stored.

  As the battery lid, a combination of a slide operation and a rotation operation is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The battery lid is rotatable between an open position for opening the battery chamber and a closed position for closing the battery chamber, and slides between the closed position and a locking position on the same plane as the closed position. The battery lid is prohibited from rotating when slid to the locking position.

  Also, some memory cards lose image data that is being read from or written to the memory card if it is inserted or removed while the digital camera is operating (so-called hot plugging / unplugging) (for example, xD picture cards) . In order to prevent this, conventional digital cameras protect the image data being read and written by performing a power-off process so that the image data is not lost when the battery cover is opened. Further, in a digital camera using a battery cover that combines the above-described sliding operation and rotation operation, in order to ensure this protection, the power-off operation is performed when the digital camera is slid from the locking position to the closing position.

The battery cover is provided on the bottom surface of the camera body in order to improve the appearance quality of the digital camera. Also, the bottom of the camera body is provided with a tripod mounting part that attaches the digital camera to a tripod, etc. However, since recent digital cameras have been downsized, the tripod mounting part and the battery cover are placed close to each other. ing. Since a general tripod head has a size that comes into contact with the battery lid when it is attached to the tripod mounting part, the battery lid does not rotate to the open position with the tripod attached. Absent.
JP 2003-142841 A

  However, when the digital camera is attached to the camera platform, the camera platform and battery cover may rotate relative to each other while the camera platform and battery cover are in contact. At this time, the battery cover slides from the locked position to the closed position. The digital camera may turn off. The slide of the battery cover when the tripod is attached is difficult to see due to the camera platform, and there is a problem that the user who is not familiar with the operation of the digital camera does not know why the digital camera cannot be turned on.

  In order to solve the above problem, it is conceivable to provide a lock mechanism that locks the battery lid at the locking position, and to release the lock when sliding from the locking position to the closing position. However, there is a problem that this locking mechanism increases the cost and inhibits downsizing.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a digital camera and a power control method for the digital camera in which the power-off process is not performed only by sliding the battery cover between the locking position and the closing position.

  In order to solve the above problems, a digital camera according to the present invention is provided in a camera body, and a media slot into which a recording medium that does not have a function of protecting image data at the time of live insertion / extraction is inserted and removed, and the media slot is opened. A lid that is rotatable between an open position for closing and a closed position for closing the media slot, and slidable between a closed position and a locking position for which rotation is prohibited at the closed position, and a lid And a lid detecting means for detecting that the camera is in the closed position or the locking position, and a power control means for turning off the power of the camera body when the lid is not detected by the lid detecting means.

  In addition, a tripod mounting portion provided near the lid to which a tripod is attached and a tripod detection means for detecting that the tripod is attached to the tripod mounting portion are provided, and the power control means detects the tripod by the tripod detection means. If the lid is not detected by the lid detecting means, the power supply is kept on.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the lid and the tripod mounting portion are arranged on the same plane, and the shortest distance between the end edge of the lid and the center of the tripod mounting portion is 12 mm or less.

  Further, the lid and the tripod mounting part are arranged on the bottom surface of the camera body, and the closed position and the locking position are provided in the front-rear direction of the camera body.

  Further, the lid detecting means is a detection switch having a detector that is movable between a first position and a second position, and the first detector is placed on the lid when it is in the closed position or the locking position. And an action part for moving the detector to the second position when it is rotated to the open position.

  Further, when the battery chamber is disposed in the vicinity of the media slot, it is preferable to open and close both the media slot and the battery chamber with a lid.

  The power control method for a digital camera according to the present invention also includes a lid that opens and closes a media slot from which a recording medium that does not have a function of protecting image data at the time of live insertion / removal is inserted / removed, When the digital camera detects that it has been rotated to the open position and turns off the digital camera, it is digital when the lid is slid between the closed position and the locking position where rotation is prohibited at the closed position. The camera power is kept on.

  Further, it is detected that the tripod is attached to the tripod mounting portion provided in the vicinity of the lid, and at this time, the digital camera is kept on even if the lid is rotated from the closed position to the open position. It is a thing.

  According to the present invention, the power-off process is not performed even when the lid using both the slide operation and the rotation operation is slid from the locking position to the closed position. It will not become impossible to operate because it cannot be identified. Further, since the power-off process is executed when the lid is rotated to the open position, it is possible to prevent the recording medium and the battery from being hot-plugged.

  In addition, when the tripod is attached, the power is not turned off even if the lid is rotated to the open position, so even a small tripod can be used by a user unfamiliar with digital camera operation to determine the cause of the power off. It will not be impossible to operate.

  In addition, the lid and tripod mounting part are arranged on the same plane, and the shortest distance between the edge of the lid and the center of the tripod mounting part is 12 mm or less, so that the pan head contacts the lid even when using a small tripod. Thus, it is possible to prevent the rotation to the open position.

  In the digital camera 2 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1A, a lens barrel 4 is disposed at the center of the front surface 3a of the camera body 3. In the lens barrel 4, a photographing lens 5, an aperture, a shutter mechanism, and the like are incorporated. In the upper right part of the front surface 3a, there is provided a flash light emitting unit 6 that irradiates light toward a subject during photographing.

  On the upper surface 3b of the camera body 3, a power button 9, a mode dial 10, a release button 11, and the like are arranged. The power button 9 is, for example, a push-type operation button, and switches on / off the power of the digital camera 2. The mode dial 10 is a rotary operation dial, and is used for switching operation modes such as a photographing mode for photographing and a reproduction mode for reproducing a photographed image. The release button 11 is a push-type operation button and is operated at the time of shooting.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, on the back surface 3c of the digital camera 2, a liquid crystal monitor 14, a zoom button 15, a cross button 16, a menu button 17, and the like are provided. The liquid crystal monitor 14 displays a through image at the time of shooting, a reproduced image that has been shot, various setting menus, and the like. The zoom button 15 is a pair of push-type operation buttons arranged side by side and is used for a zoom operation. The cross button 16 is an operation button that can press the up, down, left, and right directions of an annular operation member, and is used for item selection at the time of various settings. The menu button 17 is a push-type operation button provided inside the cross button 16, and is used as a setting menu call or an OK button for setting.

  A bottom surface 3d of the camera body 3 is provided with a tripod screw hole 20 which is a tripod mounting portion to which a tripod is mounted, and a battery lid 21 formed in a rectangular plate shape. The screw hole 20 for a tripod is a 1/4 inch size screw hole defined in “JIS B 7103: Tripod mounting portion of camera”.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the battery lid 21 is opened, a battery chamber 25 in which a battery 24 is accommodated and a card slot 27 in which a memory card 26 as a recording medium is set are provided in the back. Although not shown in detail, the battery chamber 25 and the card slot 27 are provided with a holding mechanism for holding the stored battery 24 and the memory card 26, so that the bottom surface 3d with the battery cover 21 opened is provided. Is directed downward, the battery 24 and the memory card 26 do not fall off.

  The memory card 26 is, for example, an xD picture card. This xD picture card is not provided with a function for protecting image data being read / written from / to the memory card when it is inserted / removed during operation of the digital camera 3 (so-called hot plugging / unplugging). Therefore, image data being read / written may be lost.

  A pair of shaft attachment portions 30 are formed on the inner surface of the battery lid 21 and on both ends of one long side 21a. As shown in FIG. 3A, a substantially cylindrical support shaft 31 is erected on the outer side of the shaft attachment portion 30. The battery lid 21 is attached to the camera body 3 by inserting these support shafts 31 into elongated holes 32 provided in the camera body 3. The long hole 32 is formed along the front-rear direction of the camera body 3, and the battery lid 21 is slidable between a locking position shown in FIG. 5A and a closed position shown in FIG. It is possible to rotate between this closed position and the open position shown in FIG.

  Locked portions 36 having protrusions 35 protruding outward are provided on the inner surface of the battery lid 21 and on both end edges on the other long side 21b side. In the camera body 3, a locking member 38 having a slit 37 for locking the protrusion 35 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the battery lid 21 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the locked portion 36 is inserted into a notch 38 a provided in the locking member 38. Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the battery lid 21 is slid from the closed position to the locking position, the protrusion 35 is inserted into the slit 37, so that the battery lid 21 is prohibited from rotating.

  A long hole 41 communicating with the inside of the camera body 3 is formed on the side of the battery chamber 25. A substantially L-shaped lid detection lever 42 is provided at a position facing the elongated hole 41 on the inner surface of the battery lid 21. A reinforcing rib 42 a is formed outside the lid detection lever 42. A lid detection switch 43 that detects the battery lid 21 is disposed behind the elongated hole 41. The lid detection lever 42 and the lid detection switch 43 constitute the lid detection means of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the battery lid 21 is in the locking position, the lid detection lever 42 is inserted into the elongated hole 41, and the tip 43b of the battery lid 21 presses the detector 43a of the lid detection switch 43 to shake it. Move. Thereby, the lid detection switch 43 is turned on and the battery lid 21 is detected. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lid detection lever 42 continues to swing the detector 43a even when the battery lid 21 is slid to the closed position, so that the lid detection switch 43 detects the battery lid 21. To maintain. Next, when the battery lid 21 is rotated to the open position, the lid detection lever 42 moves out of the long hole 41 and moves away from the detector 43a, so that the detection of the battery lid 21 by the lid detection switch 43 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the configuration of the digital camera 2 is roughly divided, the imaging unit 45, the signal processing unit 46, the display unit 47, the recording unit 48, the operation unit 49, the control unit 50, the power supply unit 51, and the lid detection switch 43. Etc.

  The imaging unit 45 includes the photographing lens 5, an imaging element, and the like, and outputs the captured imaging signal to the signal processing unit 46. The signal processing unit 46 performs various conversion processes and correction processes on the imaging signal input from the imaging unit 45 to generate image data. The display unit 47 includes the liquid crystal monitor 14 described above and a driver circuit for the liquid crystal monitor 14, and displays the image data generated by the signal processing unit 46 on the liquid crystal monitor 14.

  The recording unit 48 includes a memory card 26 and a media controller 54 that reads and writes image data from and to the memory card 26. The operation unit 49 includes various operation members such as the power button 9 and the mode dial 10 and inputs an operation signal to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 includes a CPU, a ROM in which a control program is recorded, a RAM used for temporary recording of various data, and the like, and controls each unit of the digital camera 2. The power supply unit 51 includes a power supply control circuit 55 that controls the power supply of the digital camera 2 and the battery 24, and supplies power to each unit. The power supply control means of the present invention includes a control unit 50 and a power supply unit 51.

  The lid detection switch 43 described above is connected to the control unit 50. When the battery lid 21 is no longer detected by the lid detection switch 43, that is, when the battery lid 21 is rotated to the open position, the control unit 50 controls the power supply control circuit 55 to execute the power-off process. As a result, it is possible to prevent the memory card 26 and the battery 24 from being hot-plugged, so that image data being read from and written to the memory card 26 is not lost.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power button 9 is operated, the power control circuit 55 starts to supply power to each part. The control unit 50 confirms the setting of the mode dial 10 and activates the digital camera 2 in the shooting mode or the playback mode. When activated in the shooting mode, imaging by the imaging unit 45 is started, and a through image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 14. In addition, when activated in the reproduction mode, the most recently captured image is reproduced and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 14.

  In some cases, the digital camera 2 is turned on and then attached to a tripod for photographing. As shown in FIG. 6, the tripod 60 includes three legs 61 to be grounded, a camera platform 62 that is disposed above the legs 61 and to which the digital camera 2 is fixed, and shakes the camera platform 62. An oscillating portion 63 is provided for holding it movably. The pan head 62 is rotatably provided with a fixing screw 64 that is screwed into the tripod screw hole 20 of the digital camera 2.

  Since the battery lid 21 and the tripod screw hole 20 are arranged close to each other, when the digital camera 2 is fixed to the tripod 60, the upper surface of the camera platform 62 is in sliding contact with the battery lid 21. Since the battery lid 21 is slidable in the front-rear direction of the digital camera 2, the sliding margin is relatively short. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the battery cover 21 of the digital camera 2 attached to the tripod 60 may slide from the locked position to the closed position due to sliding contact with the camera platform 62. However, in the digital camera 2 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the lid detection switch 43 is not turned off even when the battery lid 21 is slid to the closed position, so the power-off process is not executed.

  As a result, a user who is unfamiliar with the operation of the digital camera 2 cannot identify the cause of the power-off and cannot be operated. Further, since the power-off process is executed when the battery lid 21 is rotated to the open position, it is possible to prevent image data from being lost due to hot plugging / unplugging.

  In the above embodiment, the lid detection switch 43 on which the detector 43a swings is used. However, a push-type switch in which the detector is inserted into the switch body may be used.

  In addition, there are general tripods that can hold large cameras such as single-lens reflex cameras, and small ones that are specialized for compact cameras. Smaller than a tripod. Therefore, in a state where the digital camera 2 is attached to the tripod, the camera platform does not come into contact with the battery lid 21 and the battery lid 21 rotates from the closed position to the open position, and the power-off process may be executed.

  In order to solve the above problem, for example, when the digital camera 2 is attached to a tripod, the power-off process may not be executed even if the battery cover 21 is rotated to the open position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, a tripod is mounted on an upper portion of a tripod mounting member 70 disposed in the camera body 3 so that a screw hole 20 for a tripod provided therein faces the opening 3e. An opening 71 communicating with the screw hole 20 is formed, and a push-type tripod detection switch 73 is attached to the upper part of the tripod mounting member 70 so that the detector 72 projects into the tripod screw hole 20 from the opening 71. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the fixing screw 64 of the tripod 60 is screwed into the tripod screw hole 20, the detector 72 is pressed by the tip of the fixing screw 64, and the tripod detection switch 73 is turned on.

  FIG. 9 shows only the configuration related to power control in the digital camera 2 shown in FIG. The tripod detection switch 73 described above is connected to the control unit 50 together with the lid detection switch 43.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 50 refers to the state of the tripod detection switch 73 when the battery lid 21 is no longer detected by the lid detection switch 43, that is, when it is rotated to the open position. When the tripod 60 is detected by the tripod detection switch 73, the digital camera 2 is maintained in the power-on state even when the battery cover 21 is rotated to the open position. As a result, a user who is unfamiliar with the operation of the digital camera 2 cannot identify the cause of the power-off and cannot be operated. Further, when the digital camera 2 is not attached to the tripod 60, the power-off process is executed when the battery cover 21 is rotated to the open position, so that it is possible to prevent the loss of image data due to hot plugging. it can.

  Further, in order to prevent the battery lid 21 from rotating to the open position when the tripod is attached, the tripod screw hole 20 and the battery lid 21 may be arranged so that the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. As shown in FIG. 11, the diameter d of the tripod screw hole 20 is about 6.4 mm, and the diameter D of the small tripod platform 80 is about 20 mm, which is small. Therefore, by setting the distance L between the center of the screw hole 20 for the tripod and the edge of the battery lid 21 to be, for example, 12 mm or less, the battery lid 21 can be rotated to the open position even when a small tripod is used. Can be prevented. The distance L is set to 12 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or less.

  In the above embodiment, the battery lid 21 that opens and closes the battery chamber 25 and the card slot 27 has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be used to open and close various terminals and lids of function expansion cards. In addition, although a digital camera has been described as an example, the present invention can also be applied to a silver salt camera, a video camera, and various electronic devices.

It is a perspective view which shows the external shape which shows the structure of the digital camera of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the open state of a battery cover. It is sectional drawing which shows the movement of an open position from the latching position of a battery cover. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the power-off process by opening a battery cover. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance shape of the tripod to which a digital camera is attached. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which has a battery cover in a closed position at the time of attachment to a tripod. It is sectional drawing of the screw hole for tripods which provided the tripod detection switch. It is a block diagram which shows another embodiment of the part relevant to the power-off process by a battery cover. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the power-off process at the time of tripod detection. It is a bottom view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the screw hole for tripods, and a battery cover.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Digital camera 3 Camera body 20 Tripod screw hole 21 Battery cover 24 Battery 25 Battery compartment 26 Memory card 27 Card slot 42 Cover detection lever 43 Cover detection switch 50 Control part 51 Power supply part 55 Power supply control circuit 60 Tripod 62 Pan head 73 Tripod Detection switch

Claims (8)

A media slot provided in the camera body, into which a recording medium that does not have a data protection function at the time of live insertion / extraction is inserted / extracted,
A locking position that is rotatable between an open position that opens the media slot and a closed position that closes the media slot, and that prohibits the rotation on the same plane as the closed position and the closed position. A lid that is slidable between
Lid detecting means for detecting that the lid is in a closed position or a locking position;
A digital camera comprising power control means for turning off the power of the camera body when a lid is not detected by the lid detection means. A tripod mounting portion provided in the vicinity of the lid, to which a tripod is mounted;
Providing a tripod detecting means for detecting that the tripod is attached to the tripod attaching portion;
The power supply control means maintains the power supply in an on state even when the lid is not detected by the lid detection means when the tripod is detected by the tripod detection means. The digital camera described.   3. The digital device according to claim 2, wherein the lid and the tripod mounting portion are arranged on the same plane, and a shortest distance between an edge of the lid and the center of the tripod mounting portion is 12 mm or less. camera.   The said cover and the said tripod attachment part are arrange | positioned at the bottom face of the said camera main body, The said closed position and latching position are provided in the front-back direction of the said camera main body. Digital camera. The lid detection means is a detection switch having a detector movable between a first position and a second position;
The lid moves the detector to the first position when the lid is in the closed position or the locking position, and moves the detector to the second position when the lid is rotated to the open position. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is provided.   6. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein a battery chamber is disposed in the vicinity of the media slot, and the lid opens and closes the battery chamber together with the media slot. The lid that opens and closes the media slot into which a recording medium that does not have a data protection function at the time of live insertion / extraction is inserted is rotated from the closed position that closes the media slot to the open position that opens the media slot. Is detected and the digital camera is turned off,
When the lid is slid between the closed position and a locking position that prohibits the rotation on the same plane as the closed position, the power of the digital camera is maintained in an on state. Power control method for digital cameras.   It is detected that a tripod is attached to a tripod mounting portion provided in the vicinity of the lid, and the power of the digital camera is kept on when the lid is rotated from the closed position to the open position. The power control method for a digital camera according to claim 7.

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